But the singer refused to back down and even mocked any listeners who might be offended by the gaffe, heard by millions of youngsters as she, Sarah Harding, 30, Cheryl Cole, 29, Nicola Roberts, 27, and Kimberley Walsh, 30, promoted reunion single Something New.

Nadine was talking about her love of Twitter, saying: “I use a lot of hashtags as a – well, I was going to say as a p***take. Can I say that on the radio?”

Flustered Grimmers, who has hosted the show for just six weeks, said: “Probably not, no.” He then added: “Sorry if anyone’s offended by Nadine’s filthy mouth.”

But the 27-year-old singer hit back: “If anyone is offended by that, you need to get out more.”